Wire rope



H. OECHSLIN May 17, 1938.

WIRE ROPE 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1956 May 17, 1938. H. OECHSLIN 2,117,818

WIRE ROPE Filed Aug. 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jn Venta/1' Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 4,

1936, Serial No. 94,226

In Germany November 27, 1935 SCIaims.

Locked wire ropes are known, in which one or more layers of prole wires of sector-shaped or wedge-shaped cross section surround the core. and other profile Wires engaging over one another form an external closure or lock. This rope structure, on account of its limited ilexibility and of the complicated constitution of its proiile, is only suitable for cables of large cross section, for instance for carrying ropes of aerial cable ways.

Ropes are also known in-which prole wires forming an outer layer interengage with one another in such a manner that projecting portions of a. proille wire are embraced by recesses in adjacent profile wires, these prole wires mutually locking one another, and thereby preventing am' broken wire from jumping out of the periphery of the rope. It has also been proposed, for electrical conducting cables. to lodge iilling wires, as projecting members, in longitudinal grooves in the proillewires, which touch one another with their lateral surfaces. The disadvantage of such rope and strand structures consists in the fact that in the event of breakage of a wire, the ends oi' the wire, in consequence ot the rigid locking', cannot protrude from their regular positions at all, and vconsequently the breakage o! the wire remains undiscoverable.

According to the present invention, however, in wire rope strands or stranded ropes, profile wires of sector-shaped or other wedge-shaped cross section are provided, on their contacting lateral boundary surfaces, with recesses which are so dimensioned that they leave a clearance space in the locking direction for the illling wire embraced by them or for a projection substituted for the lling wire on one of thetwo proille wires.

'Ihe result is hereby obtained that any broken wire in the outer layer, though it cannot spring out of the peripheral surface of the rope, can protrude to a certain extent, thereby enabling the breakage to be perceived. With an outer layer and one or more inner layers of profile wires, in the event oi' a bending stress, an equalization of stress between the inner and outer wires is rendered possible, this being owing to the fact that the proille wires slide relatively to one another with their rubbing surfaces, and, as the rope or strand stretches, can slide back into their normal position again.

'Ihe invention is also correspondingly applicable tovhollow ropes, strands or cables consisting of one or more layers of proille wires. In a multilayer strand in which the outermost and innermost layers, or even all the layers, consist of prole wires with iilling wires or corresponding projections, by leaving out the core wire a cavity is formed, which, it the rope bends, enables the stresses to be equalized by displacement of the individual wires by means of the sliding surfaces. In particular the proille wires of the innermost 5 layer are in this case displaceable in the same manner as those of the outer layer.

The protle of the outer wires is preferably so selected that a circle touching all sides of the profile can be inscribed in it. In ropes accord- 10 ing to this invention the ilexibility is not materially impaired, as compared with those consisting of round wires, since the axes of the prole wires do not exceed, in the height and breadth of the sector prole, the diameter of a round wire. In the case of the cross section of the strand being solid throughout the entire periphery, however, the wear is considerably reduced. Moreover wear is permissible in a more advantageous relasionship to the cross section of the wire than in the case of round wires.

With advancing mechanical wear, owing to baring or partial baring of the lling wires or of the recesses designed for their accommodation, the extent of the wear becomes perceptible. Accordingly, owing to the fact that the recesses are arranged at an appropriate distance from the periphery, the controlling dimension of the wear may be determined inadvance.

Further features of the invention will be gathered from the examples illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows the cross section of a. strand in which profile wires are movably locked by illiing wires;

Figure 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale of the lock shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 shows in cross section one haii' oi a wire rope made from strands such as the one shown in Figure l;

Figures 4 to l0 show other forms of construction, each figure representing a quarter of the cross section oi the strand;

Figures 4 and 5 illustrating a movable lock with projections embraced by recesses in the proille 45 wires;

Figure 6 showing a lock with illiing wires of triangular cross section, and

Figure 7 a lock with projections and recesses ci rectangular cross section in the profile wires;

Figure 8 showing one example of the employment oi' a profile wire of different cross section, and

Figures 9 and l0 showing further examples of the employment of wedge-shaped proille wires, 56

the lateral surfaces of which do not lie in planes passing through the axis of the cross section of the strand.

Figure 11 shows in cross section a hollow rope or cable consisting of one layer of profile wires, the left hand half showing the section in its ordinary or straight condition and the right hand half showing the section when subjected to a bending stress, and

Figure 12 shows in cross section one half of a rope consisting of a plurality of layers of prole wires, for instance an overhead electric power current cable, with outer and inner movable locking.

In the strand illustrated in Figure 1, the core wires I, 2 are surrounded by wires 3, which preferably have a profile which is circumscribed by a circle. The prole wires 3 are provided on their lateral surfaces 4 with recesses 5, which embrace iilling wires 6 on both sides. The lling Wires are preferably so stranded with the profile wires that they lie at the outer extremities of the recesses 5. The profile wire 'I shown in dotted lines, which is to be regarded as broken, and which tends to spring vout of the strand, is checked in its` outward movement by the adjacent filling wires 6 on both sides. It can therefore only protrude a certain distance out of the strand, and a dissolution of the rope by the wires springing out is prevented.

This type of movable locking will be more clearly understood from Figure 2. The profile wire 'l in the middle of this figure has not yet quite reached its extreme outer position, so that it does not yet bear against the filling wires 6, which are held by the prole wires 3.

'I'he rope illustrated in Figure 3 is produced by a known process, by stranding six strands 8, pertaining to a. solid cross section and formed as shown in Figure l, with a. hemp core 9.

In the case of the strands illustrated in Figure 4, the profile wires I have projections I I on both sides, which engage in recesses I2 in the adjacent profile wires I3, so that a clearance space preferably remains both in an outward and an inward direction. By this means it becomes possible for both the wires I0 and the wires I3 to protrude from the strand to the extent of the outer and inner clearance respectively. It is in this case immaterial whether` the profile wires I0 and I3 are stranded with a core wire I4', or with a pluraiity of layers of core wires or prole Wires.

The strand illustrated in Figure is distinguished from that of Figure 4 merely by the fact that the profile wires I5 are each provided with a projection IG on one side and with a recess Il on the other side.

The filling wires I8 of Figure 6, as distinguished from the filling wires 6 of Figures 1 and 3, are of triangular cross section, and the recesses I9 in the profile wires are shaped to correspond. The shapes of the cross sections of the filling wires and of the recesses are entirely optional. For instance filling wires of elliptical, hexagonal or rectangular cross section may be employed.

In a similar manner it is possible to construct the projections and recesses of interengaging profile wires angularly. 'I'hus the projections 2I and the recesses 22 of the profile wires 23 in Figure '7 are rectangular in shape.

The profile wires 24 in Figure 8 are. locked by filling wires 25 as in Figure l. The locking is not affected by the difference in the profile of the wires 24.

Similarly in the case of the profile wires 26 and 2 of Figures 9 and 10, which abut upon one another with lateral surfaces extending at an angle to the axial plane of section, and with curved lateral surfaces respectively, the locking, as such, is not affected by the modifications in the shape of the profile wires.

In the case of the hollow cable illustrated in Figure 11, the left hand half of the cross section shows the locking of the profile Wires 30 with the filling wires BI corresponding to those of Figure l. 'I'he right hand half of the cross section, however, illustrates how the profile wires 33 and the filling wires 34 become displaced under a bending stress, for instance in the event of a curvature of the rope over a bearing surface 32, and render possible a change in relative position of the hollow rope cross section as a Whole, thus equalizing the stresses.

In the case of the rope or cable of Figure 12, consisting of a plurality of layers of prole wires, the outer profile wires 35 are locked to the filling wires 36, and the inner profile wires 31 to the filling wires 38, in the manner shown in Figure 1, the inner movable locking also assisting in enabling the stresses to be equalized. 'I'he intermediate layer of profile wires 39 is shown by way of example without locking means. In the event of the core wire being absent, the central cavity 40 is formed. When employing this as an overhead power current cable, the filling wires consist for example of steel and the prole wires of copper, aluminium or the like, the former constituting the supporting cross section and the latter the current-conducting cross section, or conversely. Alternatively the innermost layer of wire (profile wires and filling wires of steel) takes the tensile stresses, while all the other wires (of copper, aluminium or the like) conduct the current or the like. In some instances it is sufficient if only a portion ofthe recesses designed for the accommodation of the projections or filling wires are provided with filling wires or locked by means of projections, while the other recesses form empty cavities. A locking of the profile wires is also obtained for example if a filling wire is placed in every other pair of abutting surfaces, since that would alreadyA be sufficient to prevent any broken wire from jumping out, since it would be locked on one side. Owing to the cavities, as is known in itself in cables with the core omitted, oscillations, and also, in consequence of the greater bearing surface of the fastening position, corona losses, are diminished.

In Figures 1 to 7 and 11 are shown strands with twelve profile wires in the full cross section, and in Figures 8 and 12 a strand or cable with eighteen outer profile wires. These numbers of profile wires are of course optional and are merely indicated by way of example.

For the essence of the invention it is moreover immaterial whether they are employed in hollow ropes or in solid ropes, in hollow strands or in solid strands, in strands with a core wire or with internal layers of round wires or profile wires. It is furthermore unimportant whether the profile wires, filling wires, projections vand recesses are angular or rounded in cross section. The representation of the cross sections of profile wires and iiiling wires in the drawings is not intended to establish a definite standard. In particular the dimensions of the filling wires and of the projections and recesses may be so selected, to adapt them to the cross-sectional form of the profile wires, which will depend upon the number thereof, that the springing out of a broken profile wire is reliably prevented even if it is somewhat tilted.

suitable metals according to the purpose for which they are employed. The filling wires oflarger diameter may even be replaced by corre.

sponding strands.

What I claim is:-

1. A wire rope or strand comprising an external layer of profile wires, the adjacent faces of which are in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the profile Wires being formed with recesses in their contacting` faces, and locking elements engaging in the said recesses to prevent one prole wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses forming apertures of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis of this cross section extending in the locking direction, and such clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent profile wires.

2. A wire rope or strand comprising an external layer of profile wires the adjacent faces of which are in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the prole wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and lling wires engaging in the recesses in two adjacent profile wire surfaces and thus serving as locking elements to prevent one proille wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses together forming an aperture of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis of this cross section extending in the locking direction, and such clearance being provided between the filling wires and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent proiile wires.

3. A wire rope or strand. comprising an external layer of proiile wires, the adjacent faces of which are in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the contacting faces of the profile wires being formed with recesses, and projections on some at least of the contacting faces of the profile wires. the said projections 'engaging in the recesses in adjacent faces and thus serving as locking elements to prevent one profile wire becoming disengaged from the others, the dimensions of the recesses being greater than those of the projections in the locking direction, so as to allow limited relative displacunent in that direction between adjacent proiile wires.

4. A wire rope or strand comprising an external layer of profile wires the adjacent faces of which are in sliding contact with one another, the profile wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and locking elements engaging in some of the said recesses to prevent one profile wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses forming apertures of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis ci' this cross section extending in the locking direction, the other recesses remaining empty, and auch clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent profile wires.

5. A wire rope or strand comprising at least one layer of profile wires the adjacent faces of which are in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the profile wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and locking elements engaging in the said recesses to prevent one prole wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses forming apertures of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis of this cross section extending in the locking direction, and such clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between the adjacent prole wires.

6. A wire rope or strand comprising an external layer of prole wires the adjacent faces of which are substantially plane radial faces in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the profile wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and locking elements engaging in the said recesses to prevent one profile wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses forming apertures of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis of this cross section extending in the locking direction and in the direction of the radial contacting faces of the profile wires, such clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent profile wires.

7. A wirc rope or strand comprising an external layer of profile wires the adjacent faces of which are substantially plane non-radial facas in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the profile wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and locking elements engaging in the said recesses to prevent one pronle wire becoming disengaged from the others, the adjacent recesses forming apertures of elongated shape in cross section, the longitudinal axis of this cross section extending in the locking direction and in the direction of the plane non-radial contacting faces of the profile wires, such clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited. relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent profile wires.

8. A wire rope or strand comprising an external layer of pronle wires the adjacent faces of which are curved surfaces in sliding contact with one another, some at least of the profile wires being formed with recesses in their contacting faces, and locking elements engaging in the said recesses to prevent one profile wire becoming disengaged from the others, such clearance being provided between the locking elements and the recesses as to allow limited relative displacement in the locking direction between adjacent proiile wires.

HEINRICH OECHSLIN. 

